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Monday, 20 November 2017

The Squirrel's Breakfast

I know lots of you enjoy vintage postcards so today I'm sharing a few more from my collection.

An unused postcard published by Valentine & Sons in pristine condition.

Published by J. Salmon and posted in 1940 the message reads;Dear Mummy, thank you for the lovely Bonzo card you sent me. Please send me some more Bonzo cards but no fairies. With love from me.

Another Salmon card posted in 1933 - the message reads;Dear Helen, I hope you had a nice time at Auntie Stella's the other day. I'm sorry darling to hear that all your dollies are sick & naughty, but 'praps they are well and good again now! Aren't these two little bunnies darling.Only four days more here then mummie and daddy start for home, so Helen will soon have her surprise present. Lots of love and kisses my sweet pet from mummie and daddy xxxx

An unused postcard published by Valentine & Sons

An unused postcard published by J. Salmon Ltd

All the cards that follow are published by Valentine's.

This card and the one that follows were sent to Virginia in 1938, and they both have the same message which is;

Lots of love from Nannie xxxx

Another card from Nannie this time the message reads:

Dear Virginia, I hope you are being good. Have you been walking in the rain? I have.

Lots of love from Nannie

This one also posted in 1938 says;

See you Friday darling.

Love from Nannie

This one posted in 1937 has no message but is covered in kisses so a message of sorts.

Rain on the green grass. Rain on the trees. And rain on the house-top but not on me!

Damaged card with no message.

This one posted in 1954 reads;

Dear Lesly hurry up and get well soon. With love from Janet and Jan.

This final card is for the little girl who requested more Bonzo cards but no fairies. 😉

*The first twelve postcards are illustrated by Rene Cloke the
last one is by G. E. Studdy.

61 comments:

Wonderful cards, and I just love the messages written on them. We are missing out on a lot today with our boring text messages and smilies, nothing to compare with a beautiful card dropping onto the door mat! Thanks so much for sharing, and have a great week, hugs, Valerie

Well..l had a chuckle...to think of all the rubbish we write on the back of a postcard..Funny, l know, but l think the funniest is..."Wish you were here"....HaHa! NO! You don't..Your so glad your as far away from that personthat's possible! :). I have to confess though..l'm very much a card person..and love leaving rude/naughty remarks of ALL sorts...especially on the back of an envelope..!

And...when l saw the name...BONZO...I thought,Bonzo..Bonzo..is that John 'Bonzo' Bonham, drummer of the band Led Zepplin..who died back in 1980...or is it Bonzo, near Piermont a placein Northern Italy...or..or..Bonzo Dog Doo~Dah Band..."Willie..your getting carried away here".So! I looked it up...Bonzo the Dog is a fictional cartoon character first created in 1922 by British comic strip artist George Studdy. The pup quickly rose to popularity in the 1920s...So there we are...it's a dog..a puppy..And, so, ifthat's him in the final postcard...looks as though he's having/had a good time...Bless Him! :0).

Hi Willie, I was thinking about you when I put this post together because I know you appreciate more pictures and fewer words. I love getting and sending postcards and have even been guilty of writing, “wish you were here” :-)

No, not that Bonzo this is Bonzo the dog – no, not Bonzo the Dog Doo-dah Band! Complicated isn’t it but you got it right in the end.

I’m going to look up Bonzo in Northern Italy, as I didn’t know there was such a place.

We’ve just home from a very wet and cold Shaftsbury, glad to be back in the warm. Hope you are having a good day.

Popular American name....Bonzo..! Even Ronald Reagan made a film back in 1951 called 'Bedtime for Bonzo'...Bonzo was a chimp of course..I think was his running mate when he went into politics...HeHe! :).

Shaftesbury..(you forgot the 'E'). I love the place...wet and windy..ALL the year round..Love it..! :).

Dearest Barbara, hello! Seasons Greetings to you and yours, and OHHHH how these cards are so important in Christmas décor, because part of the festivities is to go back in time and remember Christmases past. How lovely these are my friend!

Dear Barbara what a wonderful collection of vintage postcards...I would be hard pressed to say which one is my favorite. Think the Squirrels Breakfast is adorable. Hope you are having a great start to your week. Hugs!

There's a story behind every postcard, Barbara, and that's what makes them so magical. I wonder if anyone has kept all the postcards they have received in a lifetime...wouldn't that make great reading? Thanks, as always, for entertaining us. xx

These are wonderful! I especially like the two ocean scenes, such beautiful movement. I'm very glad you ended with a Bonzo card as I was curious about what a Bonzo could be. Enjoy the rest of the week and thanks for sharing your postcards!xo

I have a few Bonzo postcards and a couple of ceramic Bonzo figures. Perhaps I should do a little research and then write a blog post about them. I’m not sure how interesting it would be, but I will give it a little though. Thanks for coming over and taking a look. x

My keyboard is having a PMS hissy fit today, and refuses to work much of the time. I would LOVE to leave you a personal message like you are used to from me, but it took nearly 30 minutes to write my last message. I absolutely LOVE these cards. They are really so adorable and speak fondly of a time when life was so much simpler.

It was really kind of you to take the time Elizabeth and this is a lovely personal message. I’m so please you enjoyed the cards, life was certainly simpler than – no keyboards to drive us all insane! :-)

Nannie sounds just wonderful. I adore every single card you shared here. I collect too, but these are such a beautiful series. And sometimes the messages are as beautiful as the images. These are treasures.

I also wanted to thank you for your visit to the Gypsy. I'm so glad you are inspired to use your oil lamp in your holiday decorating. A sprig of holly or a red bow and you are good to go! What a treasure --like having your family with you.

Hello Jeanie, I sometimes think the messages are better than the cards, although I love the cards as well.

I’ve been putting the lamp away (for safekeeping) every Christmas for the past twenty years. It will have pride of place this year, with a bow and holly to make up for all those years in a cardboard box. :-) Thank you for the inspiration and your beautiful blog.

OMG! What lovely postcards, and a great collection. I used to collect them years ago, but I think my oldest is 1998. I've looked for some recently, and they are dang near impossible to find these days. Kudos and thanks for sharing these treasures! Hugs...RO

Hello RO, it is getting harder to find them, but they do turn up from time to time. If you go to a flea market/second hand sale of any kind keep a look out for old shoe boxes because that is usually where the postcards are hiding.

I enjoyed this post immensely.These vintage cards are wonderful and show an innocence which seems to be fast disappearing ...To this day I love to send cards and receive them, those handwritten notes are very special.

Hope you are having a good week Barbara, I've been fortunate to enjoy some Autumn walks, the trees are still looking so colourful.

We’ve been enjoying some beautiful autumn weather but after a very wet and windy night, I have a feeling a lot of the leaves will be on the ground this morning. I can’t say for sure because it’s too dark to see very much at the moment.

Absolutely stunning!!! I would love to have them all! They are priceless!!! And, I love the messages!!! These are so beautiful! Made me smile!!!! Thanks Barbara!! Big Hugs!(Barbara, I just saw your message on my blog, I can mail anywhere! That is no problems! To be honest, I don't know if I am going to sell any this year, because I got them too late! You are in England, right? Shipping for you, would be probably around $14.00 (Canadian), depending on the amount you got. Thanks for asking!!!!)

Thanks so much for replying to my query Stacy, it is a little late for this year but there is always next year.I’m very happy to know the postcards made you smile. Have a lovely rest of the week. Hugs!

Such beautiful postcards. I love the Dance of the Sea Sprites! I would have looked at it for hours growing up. I used to send and receive a lot of postcards growing up (I have always loved sending and receiving mail). I have received a postcard in a long time!

Hi Stephanie, up until about ten years ago I always sent postcards when I was on holiday but these days I email or send texts. Postcards just seem to be a thing of the past which is a shame.It will soon be the weekend, and I hope you have a good one.

I'm with the little girl who wanted more Bonzo - the fairy cards are charming, but Bonzo looking rather the worse for wear was my favourite. It would make a very apt New Year card for some people, perhaps ...

Enchanting cards, Barbara! You have an awesome collection of books, cards, magazines... I LOVE how you so generously share them with us every week. It is always a treat to see a new post from you. Sending you a BIG (((HUG)))

There is nothing nicer than waking up to a hug from a friend, thank you Colleen! Sharing cards and things here is like sharing with friends, and it always gives me joy. Thank you for taking the time to visit and for being my friend. Hugs Barbara

Hi Sandra, that is an interesting question and one I had never thought of, however, according to historian R. S. Duncan, a former governor of England’s Wakefield Prison, the song originated with that 420-year-old institution’s female prisoners, who were exercised around a mulberry tree. He goes on to say; A sprig was taken from Hatfeild Hall (Normanton Golf Club) Wakefield, and grew into a fully mature mulberry tree. This seems to be the accepted explanation, although according to Wikipedia, there is no evidence to support his theory.

I used to know all the words when I was a child, but had forgotten them over the years. Thanks for finding them and sharing them here Willie.

Sandra you might be interested in this from Wikipedia:

Another possible interpretation of the rhyme is that it references Britain's struggles to produce silk, mulberry trees being a key habitat for the cultivation of silkworms. As Bill Bryson explains, Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries tried to emulate the success of the Chinese in silk production but the industry was held back by periodic harsh winters and mulberry trees proved too sensitive to frost to thrive. The traditional lyrics 'Here we go round the mulberry bush / On a cold and frosty morning' may therefore be a joke about the problems faced by the industry.

Dear Barbara I don't know what happened to my other comment. Looks like it went into the big black hole and the comment that was meant for the previous post appeared here. Love your beautiful vintage postcards. The note from the little girl Helen’s parents makes me wonder where they had gone. Had they gone abroad or were they on some sort of official trip so couldn't take the little girl with them? Or was she one of the little children sent away to live with relations in the country during the war? So many fascinating questions? Does the post card say which year it was?

Hi Shashi, I’m so sorry about the problem with commenting. Blogger is being very difficult, and I’ve no idea why. Thank you for trying again.The postcard was sent from Grindelwald, Switzerland in May 1933. When I first looked at it, I assumed Helen’s parents were on a skiing holiday, but I’m not sure how much snow there would be in May. I imagine Helen was being looked after by grandparents or by a professional nanny. The family lived in Eccleston Place, London SW1 so I would imagine they were fairly wealthy. Like you, I would love to know more.

Oh it gets even more interesting with that tit bit of information. One could weave so many tales. 1933 would have been the time when dark clouds of war were looming in Europe. Maybe the father of Helen was in some sort of diplomatic or other foreign service. Fascinating.

I like that idea far more than skiing Shashi! My subscription to ‘Find my Past’ has run out otherwise I would be searching for more info about the family. They have a fairly unusual name (Riviere) which should make it easier. I don’t want to renew my subscription just now because we are off to Australia for three months next year, and it would be a waste. I hope I remember to do it when we get home but having spent time with the family, I’m sure other things will be uppermost in my mind for a while. :)

One could weave so many stories about this postcard. 1933 was a time when the dark clouds of war were forming in Europe in the distance. Maybe the father was on diplomatic service or on some other foreign assignment. Whatever it was I hope the little girl was united with them soon and spent many happy years with her parents.

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About Me

This is where I share my collection of vintage
books, and other favourite things. I
also showcase new children’s books written by authors I admire. I am an
ex-bookseller, now full time blogger. My husband and I live in a small village
in Somerset, UK. Thanks for visiting. Barbara xx

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There are fairies at the bottom of our garden! It's not so very far away; you pass the gardener’s shed and you just keep straight ahead, I do so hope they've really come to stay. Rose Fyleman

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When little elves have cut themselves, or mouse has hurt her tail, or froggie's arm has come to harm, this herb will never fail. The fairy's skill can cure each ill and soothe the sorest pain; She'll bathe, and bind, and soon they'll find that they are well again. Flower Fairies of the wayside C. M. Barker.